Hospital Practice
ISSN: 2154-8331 (Print) 2377-1003 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ihop20
My Mouth Shall Praise Harold J. Morowitz To cite this article: Harold J. Morowitz (1979) My Mouth Shall Praise, Hospital Practice, 14:12, 17-21, DOI: 10.1080/21548331.1979.11707655 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/21548331.1979.11707655
Published online: 06 Jul 2016.
Submit your article to this journal
View related articles
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ihop20
Harold]. Morowitz------------------,
My Mouth Shall Praise At the rtsk ofbelng regarded as mlldly ldlosyncrallc. 1 would llkc to explain why Ume spent ln the dentlst's chair durln~ the past thlrty years bas, ali thlngs consldered. been enjoyable. 1t ls not masochlsm or lnsensltlvtty to pain or sorne perverse oral gratification that cornes from a mouthful of whlrl!ng and grtndlng Instruments: rather lt ls the lntellectual and aesthetlc pleasure 1 get from observtng an accompllshed and dedlcated expert at work. My dentlst fashlons a preparation wlth ali the care of Benvenuto Cellini shaplng a flllgree of gold or of Mlchelangelo brtnglng forth a human shape out of a black of marble. Each step ls done wlth great dellbemtlon and attention to a final product thal reaches for perfection. This com·ern wlth quallty ls so gratlfylng to watch that Il full weil overcomes thc admltted unpleasantness of havtng one's teeth and jaws the object of mechanlcal manipulation. Thus 1 repose ln tranqulllty as the reslduum of my upper left flrst molar ls belng shaped for a cap. Il seems a good Ume to thlnk about the subject of quallty. for equlpment ln the mouth makes speech Inelegant If not downrtght sloppy. There bas been a lot of talk around lately about where quallty ln work performance has gone ln the modern world. The last few months have brought persona! examples: a surly wattress, a pedlatrtclan too busy to talk to a mother about a problem chlld, an air frelght company employee who couldn't care Jess about an overdue package of frozen research materlals. and a car salesman unable to answer the slmplest questions about his wares. Each reader can doubtlessly supply his own list. and the aggregate represents for ali of us a way of Il fe that ls less than 1t mlght be. The soclologlsts have much to study about the reasons for this loss: lndustrtallzatlon and population pressure are clearly contrtbuttng factors. Belng unequlpped to undertake a formai social science analysls 1 must get my teeth lnto the subject ln a different way. The flrst step ln reverslng the decline ln quallty of llfe ls to pralse that glorlous attrtbute whenever we encounter lt. To make quallty a goal we must flrst flrmly lncorporate lt lnto our ldeology and that ls surely the work of poets, wrlters, and phllosophers as weil as others among us. Ali of whlch brlngs me back to my dentlst who can hardly be lgnored. slnce he ls now pressing dawn on a hardenlng matrlx to take an Impression of the preclsely shaped remalns of my tooth. You see there ls a special reason for my thlnklng about his professlonal services today. After flfty-flve years of practlce he ls about to retire. Although 1 have been a patient of his for only thlrty of those years. the thought of looklng for another denttst ls causlng great consternation. Havtng been so thoroughly spolled, 1 will have great dlfflculty flndlng anyone to meet my standards. Llke Dlogenes looklng for an honest man 1 envtslon myself, lantern ln band, wandertng from office to office looklng for a (continued on f'd&• 21)
Dr. Morowttz ts Professor of Mo/ecu/ar Blopbyslcs and Blocbemtstry, Yale University.
Hoepltal Pracllœ DIK'ember 1979
17
Harold]. Morowitz-----...., (from page 1 7)
Persantineœ
(dPifdcnde)
*INDICATIONS-Based on a review of this drug by the National Academy of ScienceNational Research Cou neil and/ or ether information, FDA has classified the indication asfollows: "Possibly" effective: For long-term therapy of chronic angina pectoris. Prolonged therapy may reduce the freQuency or el iminate anginal episodes, improve exercise tolerance, and reduce nitroglycerin reQuirements. The drug is not intended to abort the acute anginal attack. Final classification of the less-than-effective indications reQuires further investigation. CONTRAINDICATIONS-No specifie contraindications are known. PRECAUTIONS-Since excessive doses can produce peripheral vasodilation, the drug should be used cautiously in patients with hypotension. ADVERSE REACTIONS-Adverse reactions are minimal and transient at recommended dosages. Instances of headache, dizziness, nausea, flushing, weakness or syncope, mild gastrointestinal distress and skin rash have been noted du ring therapy. Rare cases of what appeared to be an aggravation of angina peetaris have been reported, usually at the initiation of therapy. On those uncommon occasions when adverse reactions have been persistent or intolerable, withdrawal of medication has been followed promptly by cessation of undesirable symptoms. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION-The recommended dosage is 50 mg (2 tablets) three times a day, taken at least one hour before meals. ln some cases higher doses may be necessary but a significantly increased incidence of side effects is associated with increased dosage. Clinical response may not be evident before the second or third month of continuous therapy. Tablets of 25 mg For complete details, please see the full prescribing information.
Boehringer lngelheim Boehrlnger lngelhelm Ltd. Ridgelield. CT 06877
quallty dentlst. In the end lt may be necessary to glve up havlng dental problems. Whlle the Impression sets. the concept of "flfty-flve years" begins to solldlfy. Although his grandchlldren aiTectlonately tease our dentlst about taklng early retirement, flfty-flve years ls a long tl me. No doubt many professlonals emerge from school as young ldeallsts wlth commltment to quallty. lt ls qulte another matter to malntaln that dedlcatlon through more than half a century of active practlce wtth ali Us diiTicultles and frustrations and the allures of taklng the easy way out. Twenty thousand days of pursulng a goal requlres a strong guldlng llght. In the dentlst's chair. one ls deprlved of a dlctlonary, so the problem of dellntng "quallty" takes on a transcendent aspect. The devotees of excellence 1 have known have rarely been the wealthlest practltloners although they have usually succeeded. The klnd of performance we are dlscusslng takes great care and much Ume. As a result, such perfectlonlsts will have a lower gross productlvlty than ethers. But that may be part of the essence of what we are looklng for. a wllllngness to trade tangible quantlty for the somewhat more ephemeral and eluslve goal. A rare genlus llke Shakespeare may be able to achleve both ends, but for most mortals quallty must be purchased at the priee of total output. And 1 am now belng treated to a splendld example of the atfbve. My denttst ls engaged ln fashlonlng a tooth that will be worn for only two weeks whlle the laboratory processes the permanent cap and lts coatlng. Yet he ls so dellcately shaplng the temporary prosthesls that 1t is emerging as an object of beauty ltself. It will shortly be thrown away, yet this professlonal cannet, as a matter of character, allow lt to be Jess than the best of whlch he ls capable. (When 1 subsequently get to the dlctlonary. 1 flnd that the definition of"quality" 1 am discussing ls given as "excellence." The example better expresses the connotation of the word.) We cannet dwell on the past. ln splte of personal future lncon. venlences, lt ls clear that my dentlst's retirement ls rlchly deserved. He will go on seeklng quallty ln the many aspects of dally living. 1 hope he will somehow have the opportunlty to con vey his attitudes to a younger generation of dentlsts, so that they will be encouraged to seek. ln thelr own work, the klnd of approach that has sustalned those flfty-flve years. For my part. my retirement present ls a promise to pralse quallty whenever 1 see tt. Those of us wtth literary soapboxes not only must be concerned wtth the lntrlnslc quallty of our own work but must be ldeologlcally commltted to excellence ln ali fields of hu man endeavor. The temporary cap ls now ln place, and lleave the office wlth a strange feeling ln a novocalne-numbed jaw and a peculiar lightheadedness engendered by such a concatenation of phllosophlcal and pragmatlc thoughts about the practlce of dentlstry. At !east 1t ls now clearly understood why Ume spent ln the dental chair for the last thlrty years has resulted ln a paean rather than a pain.
Hospital Practlce December 1979
21
ISSN: 2154-8331 (Print) 2377-1003 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ihop20
My Mouth Shall Praise Harold J. Morowitz To cite this article: Harold J. Morowitz (1979) My Mouth Shall Praise, Hospital Practice, 14:12, 17-21, DOI: 10.1080/21548331.1979.11707655 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/21548331.1979.11707655
Published online: 06 Jul 2016.
Submit your article to this journal
View related articles
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ihop20
Harold]. Morowitz------------------,
My Mouth Shall Praise At the rtsk ofbelng regarded as mlldly ldlosyncrallc. 1 would llkc to explain why Ume spent ln the dentlst's chair durln~ the past thlrty years bas, ali thlngs consldered. been enjoyable. 1t ls not masochlsm or lnsensltlvtty to pain or sorne perverse oral gratification that cornes from a mouthful of whlrl!ng and grtndlng Instruments: rather lt ls the lntellectual and aesthetlc pleasure 1 get from observtng an accompllshed and dedlcated expert at work. My dentlst fashlons a preparation wlth ali the care of Benvenuto Cellini shaplng a flllgree of gold or of Mlchelangelo brtnglng forth a human shape out of a black of marble. Each step ls done wlth great dellbemtlon and attention to a final product thal reaches for perfection. This com·ern wlth quallty ls so gratlfylng to watch that Il full weil overcomes thc admltted unpleasantness of havtng one's teeth and jaws the object of mechanlcal manipulation. Thus 1 repose ln tranqulllty as the reslduum of my upper left flrst molar ls belng shaped for a cap. Il seems a good Ume to thlnk about the subject of quallty. for equlpment ln the mouth makes speech Inelegant If not downrtght sloppy. There bas been a lot of talk around lately about where quallty ln work performance has gone ln the modern world. The last few months have brought persona! examples: a surly wattress, a pedlatrtclan too busy to talk to a mother about a problem chlld, an air frelght company employee who couldn't care Jess about an overdue package of frozen research materlals. and a car salesman unable to answer the slmplest questions about his wares. Each reader can doubtlessly supply his own list. and the aggregate represents for ali of us a way of Il fe that ls less than 1t mlght be. The soclologlsts have much to study about the reasons for this loss: lndustrtallzatlon and population pressure are clearly contrtbuttng factors. Belng unequlpped to undertake a formai social science analysls 1 must get my teeth lnto the subject ln a different way. The flrst step ln reverslng the decline ln quallty of llfe ls to pralse that glorlous attrtbute whenever we encounter lt. To make quallty a goal we must flrst flrmly lncorporate lt lnto our ldeology and that ls surely the work of poets, wrlters, and phllosophers as weil as others among us. Ali of whlch brlngs me back to my dentlst who can hardly be lgnored. slnce he ls now pressing dawn on a hardenlng matrlx to take an Impression of the preclsely shaped remalns of my tooth. You see there ls a special reason for my thlnklng about his professlonal services today. After flfty-flve years of practlce he ls about to retire. Although 1 have been a patient of his for only thlrty of those years. the thought of looklng for another denttst ls causlng great consternation. Havtng been so thoroughly spolled, 1 will have great dlfflculty flndlng anyone to meet my standards. Llke Dlogenes looklng for an honest man 1 envtslon myself, lantern ln band, wandertng from office to office looklng for a (continued on f'd&• 21)
Dr. Morowttz ts Professor of Mo/ecu/ar Blopbyslcs and Blocbemtstry, Yale University.
Hoepltal Pracllœ DIK'ember 1979
17
Harold]. Morowitz-----...., (from page 1 7)
Persantineœ
(dPifdcnde)
*INDICATIONS-Based on a review of this drug by the National Academy of ScienceNational Research Cou neil and/ or ether information, FDA has classified the indication asfollows: "Possibly" effective: For long-term therapy of chronic angina pectoris. Prolonged therapy may reduce the freQuency or el iminate anginal episodes, improve exercise tolerance, and reduce nitroglycerin reQuirements. The drug is not intended to abort the acute anginal attack. Final classification of the less-than-effective indications reQuires further investigation. CONTRAINDICATIONS-No specifie contraindications are known. PRECAUTIONS-Since excessive doses can produce peripheral vasodilation, the drug should be used cautiously in patients with hypotension. ADVERSE REACTIONS-Adverse reactions are minimal and transient at recommended dosages. Instances of headache, dizziness, nausea, flushing, weakness or syncope, mild gastrointestinal distress and skin rash have been noted du ring therapy. Rare cases of what appeared to be an aggravation of angina peetaris have been reported, usually at the initiation of therapy. On those uncommon occasions when adverse reactions have been persistent or intolerable, withdrawal of medication has been followed promptly by cessation of undesirable symptoms. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION-The recommended dosage is 50 mg (2 tablets) three times a day, taken at least one hour before meals. ln some cases higher doses may be necessary but a significantly increased incidence of side effects is associated with increased dosage. Clinical response may not be evident before the second or third month of continuous therapy. Tablets of 25 mg For complete details, please see the full prescribing information.
Boehringer lngelheim Boehrlnger lngelhelm Ltd. Ridgelield. CT 06877
quallty dentlst. In the end lt may be necessary to glve up havlng dental problems. Whlle the Impression sets. the concept of "flfty-flve years" begins to solldlfy. Although his grandchlldren aiTectlonately tease our dentlst about taklng early retirement, flfty-flve years ls a long tl me. No doubt many professlonals emerge from school as young ldeallsts wlth commltment to quallty. lt ls qulte another matter to malntaln that dedlcatlon through more than half a century of active practlce wtth ali Us diiTicultles and frustrations and the allures of taklng the easy way out. Twenty thousand days of pursulng a goal requlres a strong guldlng llght. In the dentlst's chair. one ls deprlved of a dlctlonary, so the problem of dellntng "quallty" takes on a transcendent aspect. The devotees of excellence 1 have known have rarely been the wealthlest practltloners although they have usually succeeded. The klnd of performance we are dlscusslng takes great care and much Ume. As a result, such perfectlonlsts will have a lower gross productlvlty than ethers. But that may be part of the essence of what we are looklng for. a wllllngness to trade tangible quantlty for the somewhat more ephemeral and eluslve goal. A rare genlus llke Shakespeare may be able to achleve both ends, but for most mortals quallty must be purchased at the priee of total output. And 1 am now belng treated to a splendld example of the atfbve. My denttst ls engaged ln fashlonlng a tooth that will be worn for only two weeks whlle the laboratory processes the permanent cap and lts coatlng. Yet he ls so dellcately shaplng the temporary prosthesls that 1t is emerging as an object of beauty ltself. It will shortly be thrown away, yet this professlonal cannet, as a matter of character, allow lt to be Jess than the best of whlch he ls capable. (When 1 subsequently get to the dlctlonary. 1 flnd that the definition of"quality" 1 am discussing ls given as "excellence." The example better expresses the connotation of the word.) We cannet dwell on the past. ln splte of personal future lncon. venlences, lt ls clear that my dentlst's retirement ls rlchly deserved. He will go on seeklng quallty ln the many aspects of dally living. 1 hope he will somehow have the opportunlty to con vey his attitudes to a younger generation of dentlsts, so that they will be encouraged to seek. ln thelr own work, the klnd of approach that has sustalned those flfty-flve years. For my part. my retirement present ls a promise to pralse quallty whenever 1 see tt. Those of us wtth literary soapboxes not only must be concerned wtth the lntrlnslc quallty of our own work but must be ldeologlcally commltted to excellence ln ali fields of hu man endeavor. The temporary cap ls now ln place, and lleave the office wlth a strange feeling ln a novocalne-numbed jaw and a peculiar lightheadedness engendered by such a concatenation of phllosophlcal and pragmatlc thoughts about the practlce of dentlstry. At !east 1t ls now clearly understood why Ume spent ln the dental chair for the last thlrty years has resulted ln a paean rather than a pain.
Hospital Practlce December 1979
21
